Novices will find the Sony HDR-SR12 a user-friendly camcorder with its Easy mode and touch screen Home menu system.  It also has a Cam Control dial that is ideal for users who like to shoot in manual mode.  However, for those who are not yet ready to turn the dials for manual control, they can still use the HDR-SR12’s precise auto response and still produce excellent video quality.

At $1,399 MSRP, the Sony HDR-SR12 has a 1/3.15-inch ClearVid CMOS sensor.  It has the latest Exmor sensor and a Bionz processing chip.  Exmor performs Analog-to-Digital conversions and noise reduction on each column of pixels on the sensor.  The Bionz processing chip further reduces noise to produce clean and crisp images.

The CMOS chip on board has a sensor resolution of 5.66 megapixels and an effective video resolution of 3.81 megapixels.  This is significantly higher than the HDR-SR12’s predecessor, the HDR-SR7, which has a sensor resolution of only 3.2 megapixels and effective video resolution of 2.28 megapixels. 

The HDR-SR12 compresses video in the AVCHD format.  It offers four quality settings when recording videos namely, HD FH (16Mbps), HD HQ (9Mbps), HD SP (7Mbps) and HD LP (5Mbps).

When it comes to still imaging, the HDR-SR12 is the camcorder to beat.  It has an interpolated still resolution of 10.2 megapixels and an effective still resolution of 5.08 megapixels.  This camcorder is capable of capturing the largest still images with resolution of 3680 x 2760.  This still photography performance beats all camcorders in its category as well as many entry-level digital cameras.

The HDR-SR12’s Easy mode is easily one of its best features.  Sony’s trademark Easy mode relies mainly on the camcorder’s auto capabilities to produce great videos.  Using the Easy mode also enables the camcorder’s Auto Slow Shutter feature that creates choppier videos when shooting in low light environments.  In Easy mode, the text and buttons in the LCD screen also double in size making them easier to tap.

On the other hand, the HDR-SR12 also employs Manual Controls.  All the manual controls sit in the Functions menu.  The camcorder’s Cam Control dial can control the Focus, Exposure, AE Shift and White Balance Priority.  Using the dial proves to be more comfortable than the HDR-HC7 or HDR-HC9.

The HDR-SR12 is equipped with a 3.2-inch wide LCD touch screen.  The screen has a 921,000-pixel display.  You can flip out the screen up to 90 degrees from the camcorder’s body and rotate it up to 270 degrees.  The LCD’s wide surface is a big advantage to most users, because the touch screen system requires full LCD screen.  With this larger screen size, the buttons are easy to tap and are responsive enough to operate.  Within the LCD panel, you can also find the Home, Zoom Out, Zoom In and Record Start/Stop buttons.

Another great feature of the HDR-SR12 is the presence of a 123,000-pixel pivoting viewfinder.  Many manufacturers are eliminating the viewfinder from their camcorders to give way for portability and compact size but these viewfinders are great alternative viewing tools for many users.

The HDR-SR12 records to a massive 120-GB internal Hard Disk Drive (HDD).  It can offer nearly 10 hours of recording capacity at the highest quality setting.  You don’t need to worry about bringing extra tapes or DVDs with this camcorder.  All you have to do is bring your camcorder, then point and shoot.  You can conveniently browse the clips by date or segment the large clips into different time intervals.  It also employs Sony’s Face Detection system to make your search easier.  The only drawback is that you don’t have all the time to backup your videos frequently when you rely too much on the massive internal HDD.  Make it a habit to backup your videos every now and then, as one bad spill can ruin all your saved videos in the HDD.

Aside from the large disk drive capacity, the camcorder also has a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot for extra space.  With its ample storage to capture all your video and still images, you might want to have an extra NP-FH70 battery pack while on the road.  The bundled battery pack only lasts up to about 2 hours of extensive use, which can be an inconvenience if you have such a large HDD space to fill.

With a big 120GB HDD stuffed in its body, nobody will fail to notice the bigger size of the HDR-SR12 compared to other camcorders in its category.  This is the greatest disadvantage that comes with a huge internal storage space.  However, it is compact enough to fit in a medium-sized camera bag and its balance ensures that you can’t feel its weight of 650 grams when using the camcorder.  When you slide your hand into the camcorder’s strap, it fits comfortably, and it gives you a good grip of its body.  The index finger falls directly on top of the Zoom toggle while the thumb parallels with the Record Start/Stop button for easy access.

The Sony HDR-SR12 is identical to the HDR-SR11 (sells at about $200 less) except for the HDD capacity.  The HDR-SR11 only has a 60GB HDD, which is half the capacity of the HDR-SR12.  The HDR-SR12 noticeably took the design of the HDR-SR7 and added some features like the 3.2-inch wide LCD, Cam Control dial and port covers.

In comparison, Panasonic’s HDC-HS9 gains points for portability but deteriorates some of its features in video quality.  It doesn’t have a mic or headphone jack either and it lacks a hot shoe to accommodate accessories.  The LCD cavity joystick can be annoying and some ports are inconveniently located behind the battery.  Choosing between this Panasonic camcorder and the HDR-SR12 will be easy.  The HDR-SR12 may be more expensive, but it’s worth every penny.

Another competitor, the JVC GZ-HD6 at the same price range, is equipped with three 1/5-inch CCDs that works well in bright light environment, but suffers in low light condition.  The GZ-HD6 can shoot in 60P, but can only play it back through a high-definition monitor.  The primary improvement of GZ-HD6 is the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) system known thru JVC’s standard; however, it cannot compete with HDR-SR12’s excellent video performance and sleek design.

The HDR-SR12 proves that Sony has made a huge step in their camcorder performance with the Exmor CMOS sensor and Bionz processor chip.  The improvements in noise reduction capabilities are amazing, compared to previous Sony camcorders.  The sharpness in bright light is not as competitive as Canon’s HF10, but the color performance is great.  No AVCHD camcorder can rival the HDR-SR12’s 120GB capacity.  This is a recommended camcorder to have.

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